GET OUT

Chris DellSummer temperatures aren’t here yet, but don’t let that stop you from getting out and about in the nabe.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Whether you’re looking to catch a flick for date night or find a place to drop the kids for an hour or two this summer, we’ve got you covered. Locals can take solace in the fact that the nabe offers a bevy of options for both parents and singles to have a bit of fun, whether rain or shine.

Attention indie film aficionados: The third annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival is coming to Clinton Hill this week. Locals can head out to St. Joseph’s College at 245 Clinton Avenue on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. to check out “The Dark Side,” a night of Brooklyn-centric indie horror and suspense flicks. Headlining the evening is the world premiere of “5 Senses of Fear,” the first original anthology feature from Chiller TV, a division of NBC Universal. The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival is unique in that it only screens films that have a meaningful connection to Brooklyn. Every films’ cast or crew were either born or raised or live and work in Brooklyn. Each film was also either shot in or inspired by Brooklyn.

Don’t want your children stuck playing video games all summer? Well you’re in luck, locals. New York State Assemblyman Joe Lentolannounced on his Twitter page that the Brooklyn Academy of Music will host a slew of summer programs for children ages 6 to 18. From spoken word to Shakespeare performances, BAMfamily will host nine different one and two-week programs that run from July 8 to August 2. Registration and a rundown of BAM’s summer program policies can be found here.

There might be more than six months before Election Day 2013 arrives, but locals looking to get an early jump on the crowded field of New York City mayoral candidates are invited to attend the Brooklyn Civics 2013 Mayoral Forum from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 6 at Congregation Beth Elohim at 274 Garfield Place and 8th Avenue.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music will show three special screenings today of The Buddy Holly Story – the classic 1978 biopic starring Gary Busey — as part of the BAM Cinématek series for classic films, premiers, festivals and retrospectives. Locals can swing by the Peter Jay Sharp Building at BAM Rose Cinemas at 4:30, 7:30 or 9 p.m. General admission is $13 and $9 for students and seniors.

Locals interested in making the nabe a healthier place should look no further. The Greene Hill Food Co-op is inviting members — as well as local guests — to conduct 30 to 60 minute presentations on food-related topics of their choice. Whether you want to discuss food injustice, gardening or tips for shopping wisely, the food cooperative at 18 Putnam Avenue in Clinton Hill wants to hear from you. E-mail events@greenehillfood.coop if you’re interested in presenting or know someone who should. Check out Greene Hill’s Facebook page for more information.

In case you aren’t watching the NBA playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets kept the season alive with a thrilling 110-91 rout of the Chicago Bulls last night in front of a packed house at the Barclays Center. With just one more Nets win, the neighborhood will play host to Game 7 at Barclays on Saturday at 1 p.m., marking the first such postseason game played in Brooklyn since the Dodgers lost to the Yankees in Game 7 the 1956 World Series at Ebbets Field. Get your tickets online before they sell out, locals.

The last time commercial distilleries operated in Fort Greene and Vinegar Hill, the whiskey led to war.

That was during the late 19th century, when the U.S. Government deployed 1,500 infantry soldiers and Marines in an attempt to destroy an emerging black market for whiskey makers. Newspapers dubbed the raid as the “Whiskey War” of 1869.

Colin Spoelman, however, is hoping for a better outcome this time around.

The co-founder of Kings County Distillery – New York City’s oldest operating whiskey distillery, and the first since prohibition – Mr. Spoelman says he never thought of moving his 600-square-foot production facility to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. That changed when he decided, on a whim, to go on a tour of the navy yard.

After he stumbled on BLDG 121, also known as the Paymaster’s Building, the rest was history, Mr. Spoelman said.Read more…

The N.C.A.A. tournament might be more than two weeks away, but around these parts of the ‘hood, “March Madness,” has officially arrived as Long Island University Brooklyn hosts Quinnipiac University tonight at 7 p.m. in the Northeast Conference Tournament opener at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.

LIU Brooklyn must win three straight games, starting tonight at the WRAC, in order to secure an unprecedented third consecutive N.C.A.A. tournament bid and become the first NEC team to win three straight conference titles.

With only one-week left of Black History Month, Brooklynites can still find ways to celebrate black history and culture. But some residents said they are unaware of events going on in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Three blocks separates the two colleges in Clinton Hill. That 0.4 mile stretch is all that stands between a local rivalry between the men’s basketball programs of Pratt Institute on Willoughby Avenue and St. Joseph’s College on Clinton Avenue. Members of the St. Joseph’s College men’s basketball team will continue the rivalry tonight, as they walk to the Pratt Institute for the teams’ regular season finale at 7:30 p.m.

Although the Cannoneers failed to qualify for next week’s Hudson Valley Men’s Athletic Conference playoffs, the team can still end its season on a high note with a home win at the Pratt’s Activities Resource Center — also known as “The ARC” — according to Ryan McCarthy, Pratt Associate Athletic Director.

“This rivalry means a lot to our program and takes on a special connotation given our proximity,” Mr. McCarthy said. “Pratt is honored to host tonight’s game.”

Photo courtesy Long Island University Athletic DepartmentLong Island University Brooklyn senior guard C.J. Garner, who has terrorized the Terriers, will be back on the court for the Battle of Brooklyn.

Since the Blackbirds stunned St. Francis two weeks ago with a 78-68 win, the teams’ records have moved in opposite directions. Outside of a 71-61 win over second-place Robert Morris University, the Terriers (9-13 overall) have lost three of the last four games, dropping to a Northeast Conference (NEC) record of 5-6.

LIU, on the other hand, has won three of its last four games, including a gutty 79-78 road win over Bryant University, the NEC’s top squad. At 7-4 in the NEC, and 12-11 overall, the Blackbirds currently occupy third place in the conference, alongside Wagner College and Sacred Heart University.Read more…

A 71-61 loss last night to St. Francis College snapped Robert Morris’ (14-8, 6-3 NEC) six game winning streak. Including last night’s win, the Blackbirds (11-10, 6-3 NEC) are riding a six-game win streak of its own that has brought the team within one game of Bryant University (14-6; 7-2 NEC) for the Northeast Conference’s top spot.Read more…

CREDITFamily support workers Kamila Major, Aqua Hawthorne and Diana Mejia (from left) receive infant and toddler goods for their clients from Sandie Trombert of Little Essentials, a Gowanus-based nonprofit that collects and distributes such materials in Brooklyn.

The non-profit Little Essentials, an organization dedicated to collecting and distributing infant and toddler goods to local families in need, is holding a benefit concert tonight at the Pillow Café-Lounge from 7 to 10 p.m. in an effort to garner community support and funding to grow its services.

“There’s great potential to expand,” said Sandie Trombert, a Fort Greene resident and the founder and president of Little Essentials.Read more…

The city Department of Transportation’s controversial Citi Bike bike-sharing program, which put 600 bike racks on the streets of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, has residents up in arms. But kiosks are not coming down, New York City Council Member Letitia James told more than 100 neighborhood residents at a raucous town hall meeting last night.

Get news about Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in our daily roundup, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s summer slate of youth-oriented programs and the third annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival coming to St. Joseph’s College in Clinton Hill.

In today’s daily post, you’ll find news on the spring opening of the Fort Greene Artisan Market, a Pratt Institute student artwork display at a Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan and a new recording studio in the nabe.

In this crime report, locals told police that their belongings were stolen from cars and trucks, their homes were burglarized and their bank accounts were used in unauthorized ways. Also, disputes between significant others resulted in violence and robberies last week. The trend of robberies on the B38 bus continued last week, with another incident on May 4 marking the tenth such robbery in the precinct this year so far.

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